Malaysia has no cases of bird flu: health minister

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, January 28, 2004

Malaysia has no cases of bird flu: health minister

The Malaysian health ministersaid here on Tuesday that Malaysia has so far no reports of avian influenza, the H5N1 virus known as bird flu, either among poultry or humans.

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The Malaysian health minister said on Jan. 27 that Malaysia has so far no reports of avian influenza, the H5N1 virus known as bird flu, either among poultry or humans.

Chua Jui Meng said his ministry is working with the Agriculture Ministry to guarantee that the disease, which has swept across Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand and Indonesia, will not spread to Malaysia.

The ministries of health and agriculture have "acted very positively and swiftly," he told a press conference.

Chua will attend an international meeting on the poultry disease in Bangkok, Thailand on Wednesday.

The meeting will bring together ministers of agriculture and health from the region as well as officials from the European Union (EU), the United States, the World Health Organization (WHO)and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

Chua said that his ministry already has a National Surveillance System, under which clinics, laboratories and hospitals were mobilized during the Nipa epidemic and the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreaks.

"It's already in place and we are using the same machinery and network to ensure Malaysia is safe from avian influenza and other new and old diseases," he said.

So far, there have been 10 reported cases of humans contracting bird flu and 10 deaths in the affected countries.

There has been no vaccine for the epidemic, but WHO is working with other institutions to develop the vaccine. Bird flu can be transmitted to humans through contact with an infected chicken's beak, nostrils, body fluids and faeces. However, there are no reported cases of person-to-person transmission.

Health clinics across Malaysia are monitoring cases of influenza-like illness, fever, pharyngitis and atypical pneumonia since the latter is one of the complications of avian influenza.

The Health Ministry's Food Quality Control Division is collaborating with the Veterinary Services Department to enforce the ban on chickens, eggs and chicken parts and products from the affected countries, while its Control of Infectious Diseases Division is monitoring information about bird flu with international agencies and the affected countries.

Chua said the Veterinary Services Department is also monitoring chicken and duck breeders as well as bird sanctuaries and other locations to detect the virus if it appears.

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health in the Human Resources Ministry is also ensuring workers use good animal husbandry practices, including wearing masks, gloves, aprons and boots and washing hands and bathing after work, advised since the Nipa epidemic, to prevent the virus from spreading to Malaysia.

"The Malaysian public must cooperate fully and not be tempted by cheap prices of chicken in infected countries," Chua said.

Since the virus is destroyed by high temperatures, he advised the public to cook all chicken and chicken products including eggs before consumption.

He called on those working in poultry farms to go to government hospitals for an examination if they develop fever and sore throat, and urged the public not to visit chicken farms in countries infected by the avian influenza.

Source: Xinhua

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